Seeing the giant hammer come crashing down, Guo Dong's expression tightened as he raised his broadsword to block it, a spasm running through his body immediately afterward.
His face turned unsightly. He never imagined that while he was already on the verge of becoming a Martial Master, Ruan Fei—who had just broken through to the Ninth Layer Martial Disciple Realm—would possess combat prowess not the least bit inferior to his own.
"Good heavens, Ruan Fei's combat strength is incredible too! Could it be that the former number-one guy in the outer sect is also a ruthless character?" The surrounding disciples stared in wide-eyed astonishment, gasping repeatedly.
"Guo Dong, trash like you is no match for me—I can take you down single-handedly!"
Ruan Fei's eyes were icy, filled with an imposing and fierce dominance, like a wild beast. He swung the massive hammer in his hands as if hurling down the mighty thunder itself, a breathtaking sight that chilled the soul!
Just as the two of them were still locked in combat, an enraged voice echoed from afar.
"Ye Tian, what crime do you plead to for slaughtering your fellow disciples?!" Li Cheng roared angrily. Having rushed over covered in dust, along with his lacklings, he looked upon the scene like a maddened wolf, his eyes surging with cruelty and malice.
"Senior Brother Li has actually broken through to the Martial Master realm a step ahead of Senior Brother Guo and the others! It seems he must have had some incredible stroke of fortune."
"Even so, what's this about Ye Tian slaughtering fellow disciples?"
They exclaimed in shock. In less than twenty days apart, Li Cheng had actually broken through to the Martial Master realm, and he made no effort to conceal his aura at all.
Ye Tian knitted his brows. This hound had actually managed to break through, and his opponent had arrived with aggressive intent.
"Bastard, you're in for some trouble now."
Xu Xinran lifted her pretty brows, a mischievous and gloating expression dancing at the corners of her mouth. She wanted to see how Ye Tian was going to get himself out of this mess.
Ruan Fei, still engaged in combat, also secretly thought things looked bad, but Guo Dong wore a vicious expression as he slashed down with his broadsword.
"Ye Tian, you slaughtered a fellow disciple. Today, in the name of enforcement, I will cripple you and leave you to await punishment."
Li Cheng lunged forward like a demonic beast returned from hell, a murderous intent baring itself as he struck decisively. Leaping into the air, he swept his palm out into a fierce claw, as sharp as an eagle's talon.
It tore through the current of air, striking straight for Ye Tian's dantian.
This attack was undoubtedly intended to cripple Ye Tian. The surrounding disciples fell utterly silent, completely stunned.
Unfazed, Ye Tian's entire body rippled with light. Activating his movement technique, he abruptly snatched the two second-grade talisman bombs right out of Xu Xinran's hands, hurling them forward like skimming stones.
Caught completely off guard by this sudden turn of events, Xu Xinran froze, staring blankly at her empty jade hand to confirm what had just happened.
She shifted her gaze forward.
Before Li Cheng could react, his complexion changed drastically as one of the second-grade talisman bombs struck him squarely in the chest.
With a deafening "boom," a violent, chaotic wave surged outward from the blast, flames licking hungrily through the air.
He was sent flying by the second-grade talisman bomb, taking a brutal blow straight to the chest. Li Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood as he was violently blasted backward.
He had charged in with overwhelming momentum, never expecting that instead of looking impressive, he would end up getting struck by lightning.
"Ah... you bastard Ye Tian... my talisman bombs... those were my collector's editions...!" Xu Xinran shook with rage, on the verge of going mad. Who gave him the gall to do such a thing?!
The surrounding disciples looked at one another in sheer disbelief.
"Big-boobed beauty, put it on my tab, I'll pay you back!" Ye Tian had no time to worry about other matters right now; he unceremoniously hurled the remaining talisman bomb in his hand straight ahead.
Bang!
Just as Li Cheng had managed to recover his senses and watched another bomb hurtle toward him, he hastily threw up a protective shield using his spiritual qi. Yet second-grade talisman bombs were no ordinary items, and the blast still sent him flying through the air once more.
"That's it! Blow that bastard to hell!" Ruan Fei cheered aloud, having worried they might not be able to handle him.
"Get him together!"
Seeing this, Li Cheng's lacklings also went wild. Like fierce leopards closing in on their prey, they swarmed forward from all sides.
Gale-force winds whipped up, spiritual qi burst forth, and the very space trembled and warped inch by inch.
"Small fry like you aren't even worth my notice!"
With an indifferent expression and lightning flashing in his eyes, Ye Tian deployed his movement technique. Moving like a bolt of lightning and fierce as a wolf, he plunged right into their midst.
Gathering fierce spiritual qi in the palms of his hands, he struck out with one blow after another, sending them flying.
"Aah..."
Piercing screams rang out as they were sent tumbling through the air, expressions contorted in agony as they coughed up blood that spattered the bluestone pavement, steam rising into the air!
The surroundings grew deathly still; no one dared to utter a sound.
Who would dare to offend such a ferocious powerhouse? Hearing Ye Tian's name was enough to strike terror into the hearts of many.
"Darned bastard, I'll deal with you later!" Xu Xinran gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with lingering fury, though she ultimately held back from intervening for the moment.
"Barking like a dog over and over again—it's time for you to ascend to the heavens today."
A murderous glint flashed in Ye Tian's eyes as he leaped into the air, his vital energy surging to its peak.
He pushed a Yellow-tier martial skill to its absolute limit in his palms. With a cold, whistling roar, his giant palm descended like a mountain.
Aiming straight for Li Cheng's head, he prepared to finish him off.
The surrounding disciples held their breath, while Li Cheng was gripped with terror. Having suffered two consecutive attacks, his aura was now withered and weak.
Bang!
The massive palm strike missed its target. With icy eyes, Ye Tian was knocked backward, blood spilling from his lips as he gritted his teeth, his entire body trembling with a fury he could not contain!
Li Cheng let out a sigh of relief. If that blow had landed on his head, he would have already ascended to immortality.
"Ye Tian, you truly are a brutal criminal, actually attempting to murder a fellow disciple in public! If I don't cripple you today, how am I, an elder, supposed to show my face?"
Elder Qi roared at Ye Tian, his voice bone-chillingly cold as he exuded the full might of a Peak Martial Master, holding his head high.
"Who actually wanted to kill whom is as clear as day! What realm is my cultivation at, and what realm is this dog's cultivation at?"
"If your eyes don't work, let me spell out the truth for you—or was this with your tacit approval from the start, and you two are cut from the same cloth?" Ye Tian's voice was as cold as water in a deep abyss at that moment.
Blazing with fierce rage, he delivered a resolute retort.
A commotion broke out!
Although Elder Qi was merely an enforcer, his status and strength were plain for all to see.
For Ye Tian to show such unbridled audacity and talk back to him made the disciples inwardly give him a thumbs-up.
"This bastard—I've always heard he's a thorn in the side, but even with his cultivation having regressed, he still dares to act like this," Xu Xinran muttered to herself in astonishment.
"Elder Qi, this Ye Tian completely disregards the law. In my opinion, it's best to cripple him on the spot," Li Cheng added fuel to the fire from the side, watching Ye Tian with smug satisfaction and intense murderous intent.
A flicker of murderous intent crossed the depths of Elder Qi's eyes. Ye Tian had caused him to lose face in public, and he was furious.
Feigning righteousness, he declared, "This fellow Ye Tian flouts the law and deserves to be crippled and expelled from the sect!"
With that, he made his move. His hair fluttered in the wind, his aura surged violently, and his eyes turned icy and fierce as he prepared to cripple Ye Tian.
Ye Tian pondered inwardly, preparing to deploy his flight martial skill—a Peak Martial Master was simply not something he could handle head-on.
"Cease this instantly, all of you!"
A fierce-looking enforcement team arrived, sweeping their gazes across the area with the vigilance of hawks and wolves.
At their lead was He Guang, a middle-aged man whose stern and icy demeanor radiated a powerful presence.
Seeing the newcomers arrive, Ruan Fei and Guo Dong both stopped what they were doing, exchanging covert throat-slitting gestures with one another.
"I told you they'd both be fine. After all, Ye Tian is still considered a genius, even if his realm hasn't recovered yet."
The outer-sect disciples began murmuring amongst themselves once more, acting as though everything had been under control the entire time.
"Elder He, what is the meaning of this?" Qi Jun—Elder Qi—asked with an unsightly expression, withdrawing his power. It was clear his standing was not as high as He Guang's.
"The sect permits private duels, but not fatal ones. If there are mortal grudges, settle them on the Death Stage," He Guang said impartially, his eyes gleaming like sharp swords.